The Camo Cat
by SongsofPsyche1945
Summary: Bilbo Baggins comes across a rather unusual kitten in Bag End.
Bilbo Baggins stared at the small wicker basket feeling very confused, and quite befuddled. Just two days before, his pure bred Siamese Miss Anya Fluffington had given birth to five ordinary kittens: little balls of white fur with tightly closed eyes. It wasn't until today that Bilbo had detected anything extraordinary about them-or just one. At first he thought his eyes were playing tricks on him when he had peered into the basket this morning and had seen four kittens instead of five. Anya seemed quite unperturbed and continued to wash her kittens. Every once in a while though, she would give the blanket underneath her a cursory lick. Bilbo thought that was quite anomalous, but it was probably just the over cleanliness of a nursing mother cat. The fifth kitten was probably just hiding underneath Miss Anya's tail. Years of being an experience cat breeder told him not to worry, so he didn't.

The little Hobbit didn't really see any reason for alarm until one afternoon when this nonsensical vanishing act happened again! Once again, Bilbo found himself looking at four kittens instead of five, and then he saw it; in the fold of the light green blanket in the basket was something green and fluffy with a tiny pink nose. It was then he realized that this little green fluff ball was the misplaced kitten. Bilbo vigilantly picked up the minuscule green kitten from the basket. It gave a high-pitched mew of objection and instantaneously it's fur trans-morphed into the precise color of his hand; a grayish pallid flesh tone. Shocked (and frankly, quite befuddled), Bilbo took the kitten to the vet, but the he was just as perplexed by this particular feline's octopus-like behavior and watched in open mouthed bewilderment as the kitten turned the exact same shade as his stainless steel examining table. Despite this rather odd trait, the vet gave the kitten a clean bill of health and advised Bilbo to be sure not let the kitten wander outside the house.

The kitten, whom Bilbo had named Sunflower (Miss Sunny as a nickname) proved to be simultaneously challenging and frustrating to take care of as she grew. Within in a few weeks, she had evolved from the tiny fluffy newborn to a stealthy, curious, ever-getting-into-trouble kitten. She was continuously disappearing-or more accurately- blending into her environment. There was often a time where Bilbo would be walking down the hallway, only to hear a yowl and feel claws bite into his ankle as he accidently stepped on a perfectly hidden tan-as-the-carpet Miss Sunny. Bilbo had a strict no cats on the counter rule. The other kittens desperately wanted to know what was up there, and Bilbo was forever trying to discipline the little fur balls. It was easy to spot the fluffy delinquents, as they were white and the counter was maroon. Miss Sunny though, unlike her brothers and sisters could hop up onto the counter no problem at all, turning deep red as she went on with her mission to discover the unknown.

Despite her exceptional camouflage dexterities, Miss Sunny still bore resemblance to a Siamese right down to her almond shaped indigo eyes, which were the only thing other than her nose that didn't change color. Bilbo finally put a little red bell around Miss Sunny's neck so he could hear her coming when she was tearing around Bag End like the unholy offspring of an octopus and a Tasmanian devil. Most of the time she was a multicolored blur that dashed across the living room, toppling everything from the morning mail to Bilbo favorite books. By the time Miss Sunny was a year old she was like any other cat of her breed, fine boned, muscular and strikingly handsome whether she was black, red or green. Miss Sunny's favorite place to nap was on Bilbo favorite pink knitted scarf, an atrocious gift from his great Aunt Lobelia

" Lady Sunny," Bilbo would scold, "A purebred Siamese would be a lovely shade of brown, black, or even cream. I don't think a shade of fuchsia is exactly the right color for a cat of your legacy."

Miss Sunny would only look at him with her bright blue eyes reproachfully and then she would meow plaintively before leaping to the carpet turning from fushia to tan in a split of a second before running off into the next room.

Miss Sunny just like any other Siamese and had an unquenchable inquisitive curiosity and developed a fascination with the great world of the other side of the door. Every day she waited at the door for Bilbo to come home from The Great Outside. She would meet him at the door along with her brothers and sisters, pushing her way forward to catch a glimpse of this strange yet forbidden world. On one summery day in late May, Miss Sunny finally accomplished the incredible: she made a break for it, successfully slithering underneath Bilbo shopping bag and bounding with a leap into the new world. The only indication she had ever been there was a flick of a green tail as she bounded into the grass.

" Lady Sunflower you get back here this instant!" Bilbo shouted, more panicked than annoyed, he would never be able to find her if she strayed too far from the house. Bilbo searched till it was dark and he still couldn't find his beloved little cat. After an extensive evening of searching, he returned home disconsolate, and speculated if he would ever see Miss Sunny again. Weeks passed and there was still no sign of Miss Sunny, it seemed as if she had evaporated into thin air. The area around her neighborhood seemed quite lacking of a color-changing cat.

Summer turned into fall and it was one of those days between the seasons, where the weather hadn't decided to be pleasant and fair or icy and frigid. Bag End felt incredibly lonely, for Bilbo had just sold the last Anya's litter to the family down the street. Fall was always a sad time for Bilbo, not only because it reminded him of when his own nieces and nephews went off to school, but also because marked the end of breeding season. Mrs. Anya Fluffington wouldn't have another litter until the following spring.

Bilbo was getting his mail from the young man who brought it every day when he noticed something inquisitive about the hat that was unceremoniously draped on the cushion of his drivers seat. He thought it was a bit unusual for a seemingly high quality fur cap to be in the possession of just a mere mail man, but then months of experience living with a color changing cat made the curious seem more like the normal to him. Hoping against hope he pulled a cat toy out of his pocket and shook it softly. Suddenly two bright blue almond shaped eyes peered at him from the vicinity of the mail man's car, and then he heard the soft jingle of a bell. The mailman shouted in surprise as Miss Sunny jumped off driver's seat and launched herself into Bilbo waiting arms.

" Oh Miss Sunny, My dear Lady Miss Sunny where have you been?" Bilbo cried. Miss Sunny answered by turning an alarming shade of purple to match Bilbo's sweater. Bilbo chuckled as he embraced his vociferously purring feline. Bilbo supposed he would never know where Miss Sunny had been, because cats (even ones that changed color) are notoriously good about keeping their secrets. As Bilbo turned to walk back into Bag End, he ignored the chide comments from the mail man about his "purple" cat. Miss Sunny was home now, and it wasn't until she had vanished that Bilbo had realized how much he missed having her around. For, no matter what color Miss Sunny was, he would always love her.

Thank you for reading my silly little drabble

As always,

I just wanted to remind you all about writing etiquette and what adequate feedback means. I totally will accept constructive criticism, everyone should, it's the only way we can become better writers but I will not accept hateful comments. Constructive criticism is defined as the process of offering valid and well-reasoned opinions about the work of others, usually involving both positive and negative comments, in a friendly manner rather than an oppositional one. The purpose of constructive criticism is to improve the outcome. It basically comes down to this: I can write whatever I want, and if you don't like it, that's fine but please be respectful of my work. We are all on here because we love to read and write fanfiction, and I fully support everyone who reads, writes and posts on here. Some write because they want to tell a story, others write as a way to cope with their past and to heal, and some write purely because they love it. Please be respectful. Thank you all for reading and understanding. -SongsofPsyche 


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